Guinessisgoodforyou
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Not vintage or French Tourers/Campeurs, Trade/Porteurs, Audax/Randonneurs, Commuters/Town
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Guinessisgoodforyou
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Batam porteur, how tall must the rider be 
Guinessisgoodforyou
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Rivendell 68cm same owner. No tape or grips yet.
Guinessisgoodforyou
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Trek 610 audax style 1983. Shame about the un cut bolt between the chain stays.
Guinessisgoodforyou
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Surly Long Haul Trucker, a nice build.
Guinessisgoodforyou
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Soma Saga 650b Nexus hub gear conversion.
Guinessisgoodforyou
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Gazelle Friiik. When I saw this I was really excited (I know get out more) something very different, youtube link below shows inside chaincase in Dutch. @grantoury
I recently came across something completely different. It has an absolutely unique selling point on the technical side. It's a Gazelle Friiik. Yes, with three "I "s.
It is "eigenwijs en eigentijds", as can be read on the frame. That should mean something like "unique and modern". Which, as a marketing slogan, is madness in itself. Because modern is what everyone does. If it really is unique, then it is completely out of the mainstream.
Friiik is completely off the mark. Or rather, it was. Because the bike is not new at all. Gazelle introduced it in 2011 and probably took it off the market again in 2012.
As is so often the case, hardly any dealers dared to order any. Which makes me lucky enough to have a pretty rare bike.
What makes it so different?
The rear wheel is only hung on one side. Like Canondale's Lefty, but at the rear.
I've been riding something like this on my bike for almost 20 years and don't want anything else there. Looks cool and is easy to mount. When I saw the Friiik by chance, it was all over for me. Part of my rational thinking simply stopped. An extremely pragmatic bike. Because unfortunately it's not really beautiful.
The rear wheel is only suspended on one side. Which takes all the horror out of a flat tire on a Dutch bike. Because the Gazelle is a Gazelle. A feather-light (cough) and extremely stylish urban city runabout. No, of course not. The thing is rather heavy as lead. But it rolls well. Shifting is done with the Gazelle Schakel System, which is nothing more than a 1x7 derailleur that the world has never seen before and never will, because it sits under the most closed chain case of all. The thing is tight! Completely! The range of 1x7 plus the weight of the bike may limit the use of the bike in high alpine areas. On the other hand, it is much more agile than all 3-speed Dutch bikes. After two days of test riding in the Ruhr area, I can say that it's perfectly adequate for the local terrain. There is a roller brake at the front and a Sturmey-Archer drum at the rear. That's enough for the purpose. As an everyday, commuting and shopping bike, it's an absolutely awesome piece, isn't it?
The bike rolls well, the gears are adequate for the purpose and so are the brakes. The chain guard is insane and everything else needs as little maintenance as you can imagine.
The first criticism is a personal one. I'm not much of an upright rider. I like to have handlebars and saddle at the same height, and that's not what Dutch bikes are necessarily built for. It's just a bit short for me. But that's not so much the fault of the bike, it's simply the system.
The second point weighs a little more heavily. In everyday life, when commuting and especially when shopping, I would like to carry something. But that doesn't work very well with the Friiik. The rear carrier is part of the frame. Nice and stable, no question, but at least I can't hang my bags on it because of the thicker tube diameter. And then the left bag would be completely free in front of the wheel and would certainly make acquaintance with the spokes very quickly. The one-sided frame really does have disadvantages.
I will eliminate these and, as is my way, give the Friiik a sturdy front basket, even if this will be a bit tricky in terms of mounting. Once that's in place, and I've given the rear battery light cable support from the hub dynamo, then I'll have the urban shopper that can only appeal to the practical. Because the Friiik has one more catch ... It's not really beautiful. Oh, I've already said that.
I recently came across something completely different. It has an absolutely unique selling point on the technical side. It's a Gazelle Friiik. Yes, with three "I "s.
It is "eigenwijs en eigentijds", as can be read on the frame. That should mean something like "unique and modern". Which, as a marketing slogan, is madness in itself. Because modern is what everyone does. If it really is unique, then it is completely out of the mainstream.
Friiik is completely off the mark. Or rather, it was. Because the bike is not new at all. Gazelle introduced it in 2011 and probably took it off the market again in 2012.
As is so often the case, hardly any dealers dared to order any. Which makes me lucky enough to have a pretty rare bike.
What makes it so different?
The rear wheel is only hung on one side. Like Canondale's Lefty, but at the rear.
I've been riding something like this on my bike for almost 20 years and don't want anything else there. Looks cool and is easy to mount. When I saw the Friiik by chance, it was all over for me. Part of my rational thinking simply stopped. An extremely pragmatic bike. Because unfortunately it's not really beautiful.
The rear wheel is only suspended on one side. Which takes all the horror out of a flat tire on a Dutch bike. Because the Gazelle is a Gazelle. A feather-light (cough) and extremely stylish urban city runabout. No, of course not. The thing is rather heavy as lead. But it rolls well. Shifting is done with the Gazelle Schakel System, which is nothing more than a 1x7 derailleur that the world has never seen before and never will, because it sits under the most closed chain case of all. The thing is tight! Completely! The range of 1x7 plus the weight of the bike may limit the use of the bike in high alpine areas. On the other hand, it is much more agile than all 3-speed Dutch bikes. After two days of test riding in the Ruhr area, I can say that it's perfectly adequate for the local terrain. There is a roller brake at the front and a Sturmey-Archer drum at the rear. That's enough for the purpose. As an everyday, commuting and shopping bike, it's an absolutely awesome piece, isn't it?
The bike rolls well, the gears are adequate for the purpose and so are the brakes. The chain guard is insane and everything else needs as little maintenance as you can imagine.
The first criticism is a personal one. I'm not much of an upright rider. I like to have handlebars and saddle at the same height, and that's not what Dutch bikes are necessarily built for. It's just a bit short for me. But that's not so much the fault of the bike, it's simply the system.
The second point weighs a little more heavily. In everyday life, when commuting and especially when shopping, I would like to carry something. But that doesn't work very well with the Friiik. The rear carrier is part of the frame. Nice and stable, no question, but at least I can't hang my bags on it because of the thicker tube diameter. And then the left bag would be completely free in front of the wheel and would certainly make acquaintance with the spokes very quickly. The one-sided frame really does have disadvantages.
I will eliminate these and, as is my way, give the Friiik a sturdy front basket, even if this will be a bit tricky in terms of mounting. Once that's in place, and I've given the rear battery light cable support from the hub dynamo, then I'll have the urban shopper that can only appeal to the practical. Because the Friiik has one more catch ... It's not really beautiful. Oh, I've already said that.
Guinessisgoodforyou
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End.
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